New Year's resolutions: Tips for setting and achieving goals

Whether you are new to setting goals or a seasoned pro, there are many ways to make sure that your New Year's resolutions have the best chance at being achieved. Here are some tips for setting and achieving goals in 2023:

Set specific goals.

• Write down your goals in detail before you start.
• Set specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely goals (or SMART).
• Example: "I will lose 10 pounds in the next three months" is a good goal because it's specific and measurable. It's also achievable if you follow a healthy diet and exercise plan. If that doesn't work for you, try this example: "I will lose two pounds per week on average so that I can reach at least 50% of my target weight by the end of March." This example is more detailed than simply writing out "lose weight" but still keeps things realistic by using numbers as well as percentages of your overall goal. It also has an end date so that it becomes timely rather than open-ended - if need be!

Visualize yourself achieving your goal.

Visualization is a powerful tool. It can help you create goals, achieve them and even change your behavior.

Visualize yourself achieving your goal - and the positive results that come with it - to keep yourself motivated, especially when things get tough. Imagine how you'll feel once you've reached your goal and achieved what was once just an idea in your head or on paper. Visualizing success can also be a great way to celebrate after reaching a milestone!

Get creative by visualizing scenarios in which you're proud of yourself for accomplishing something, like running five miles without stopping, mastering a new recipe on the grill or finishing an art project on time (and under budget).

Create a plan.

• Start by making a plan. Don't start your New Year's resolutions until you have a plan in place.

• Be specific, but don't over-complicate things. Instead of saying, "I'm going to lose weight," say something like: "I am going to drink eight glasses of water every day and eat three servings of fruits and veggies."
• Write down your goals - and celebrate when you reach them! Each time you reach one goal, it's important to mark the occasion with a reward so that you can keep going and feel motivated.

Enlist support from others.

It's important to have the right support network in place when setting and achieving goals. Here are some ways you can enlist help from others:

• You need a friend or family member who will remind you of your goal regularly. Ask them to ask you every day how far along you are, or if they see that something is distracting or discouraging you, ask them to give advice on how to deal with it.
• Get support from people at work who are aware of your goal. If there's someone in particular with whom you've been working well for a long time, consider asking him or her for input about the best way to achieve the goal - what type of progress report works best for him/her? What kind of questions would he/she like answered? What kind of data would he/she like seeing?

Reward yourself for progress you've made.

Rewarding yourself for progress is a great way to stay motivated and stay on track. You don't need to wait until you reach your goal to celebrate; every time you do something productive, it's worth rewarding yourself with a small treat. The key is not to do this at the expense of your overall progress, though - rewarding yourself too often could lead you to abandon your goals altogether because they don't feel important enough anymore when compared with getting that reward.

To keep things in perspective, set reasonable goals that are achievable within a reasonable timeframe and make sure the rewards you give yourself reflect this scope. For example, if your goal is to lose 10 pounds by summertime, setting an unrealistic reward like wanting all-new wardrobe might cause frustration instead of motivation because it would take longer than necessary for that much weight loss! If instead you focus on smaller rewards each week or month as milestones are reached (e.g., buying new running shoes), then achievement will feel more meaningful while also motivating further progress toward reaching the end goal!

Take action every day toward achieving your goal.

The last step is where most people fall short. It's the easiest to forget about, but without it, you'll never get anywhere. You must take action everyday toward achieving your goal.

Take some time every day - whether it's 10 minutes before bedtime or 30 minutes on the train - to do something that will help bring you closer to your goal. This could be anything from making a phone call to working out at the gym to emailing someone with advice that can help them achieve their own goals.

The only way this works is if you're consistent and persistent in taking these daily actions toward achieving your goals. If there's something that keeps coming up and getting in the way of taking part in those daily actions (like not having enough time or energy), then figure out how you can resolve those issues so they don't stand between you and success anymore!

Forgive yourself for setbacks.

You may have had a goal to quit smoking, but it's been a few months since you started and you've only been able to cut back by half. Or maybe your weight-loss plan has left you feeling hungry all the time, so much so that your willpower is waning. Many people make resolutions with unrealistic expectations and then feel like failures when they inevitably fail at them. If this happens to you, don't beat yourself up or give up entirely! It was never realistic for one person to be able to do everything perfectly all at once anyway (and if any other resolution takers are reading this now: I'm sorry). Perhaps it would be better if we all took some time off from our New Year's resolutions altogether - but hey, that's just my opinion!

Anyway…if anything like this happens again in 2023 (because let's face it - it probably will), remember that failure is just part of the process in achieving any goal worth having; don't give up hope just yet! And if things still aren't going well even after taking some time off? Well then maybe it might be better not trying at all…but whatever works best for each individual person; every single one of us is unique so there really isn't any "right" way!

Celebrate your successes and achievements.

When you've made progress toward your goal, take the time to celebrate. It may seem counterproductive, but celebrating your success is an important part of accomplishing your goals. When you recognize and reward yourself for what you've accomplished so far, it will motivate you to keep working toward your goal. You might want to treat yourself by doing something fun or relaxing - or maybe even splurge on something nice!

Celebrating achievements and successes can also help prevent feelings of frustration or discouragement when setbacks occur. This is because celebrating successes reinforces positive feelings about yourself and helps ensure that setbacks don't derail your motivation or determination in achieving long-term goals

Set goals for the New Year that will improve your overall health and well-being.

• Set goals for the New Year that will improve your overall health and well-being.
• Make your resolutions specific, measurable, and time-bound. For example, "I will eat healthier" is too vague; it's better to choose a specific type of food or meal you'll eat more often. If you want to get in shape but aren't sure how or when you'll do it, write down specific exercises or activities you can schedule into your weekly routine before the end of the year.
• Share your goals with a friend or family member who can support and encourage you along the way.

• Be patient with yourself as life gets busy again! If there are obstacles in making progress towards achieving one of your resolutions this month, don't give up - just keep trying until things fall into place for real change!

Conclusion

Now that you have a better idea of how to set and achieve your New Year's resolutions, it's time to get started! If you follow these steps, we promise they will help keep you motivated and give you the best chance at achieving success. Remember: the most important thing is to keep trying. So many people make resolutions but don't follow through because they get discouraged when they don't see results right away. We hope this article gave you some helpful tips on how to stay positive when going after goals - and maybe even inspired some new ones!